The new Bay Bridge span has issues that need to be fully and adequately addressed before the eastern section opens to vehicular traffic. While local, state and federal officials should work in an expedited manner, they should not rush to meet the artificial deadline of a holiday weekend for any grand opening ceremonies. Read More
Transportation officials said Wednesday that it is still too early to determine if a batch of broken bolts on the new Bay Bridge eastern span will prevent the planned Labor Day opening, since major answers about the repairs are still two weeks away. Read More
In an effort to increase privacy measures, the duration for which regional officials can keep personal information obtained by the Clipper card is set to be reduced.
Currently, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees the universal transit payment system, can retain personal travel data for up to seven years for cards that are registered. Read More
With a solution for repairing several dozen broken stabilizing rods potentially still months away, Bay Bridge officials conceded Wednesday that they may not meet their Labor Day weekend deadline for opening the rebuilt eastern span. Read More
Last year, Bay Area motorists could glance up at huge billboards complaining, “Bay Bridge: 100% Foreign Steel” — part of a campaign launched by domestic manufacturers and union groups.
The messages were intended to shame Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the state agencies that own and operate the structure, for purchasing steel from China for the bridge’s new self-anchored suspension span.
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Bay Bridge officials conceded Wednesday that a lack of quality control led to the installation of at least 30 steel rods in the new eastern span that are now damaged and need to be repaired.
In total, 288 threaded steel rods were encased in concrete atop two towers rising out of the water. The roadway section of the new self-anchored suspension span is bolted to the rods to help stabilize the structure in the event of an earthquake.Of the 100 rods surveyed by Caltrans this month, nearly one-third have been found to be deficient.
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Initiatives to provide extra funds for BART, Muni, Caltrain and other transit agencies could stand a better chance of approval due to a renewed movement to lower voting thresholds for ballot measures. Read More
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is expected to ask today for an additional $32 million in bridge toll funds for its controversial headquarters relocation project. Read More
Living in a region with some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation can be bad enough for commuters. But it’s even worse when the tools designed to manage that traffic are frequently broken or shut down. Read More
Agencies eye basing fares on income, not age or disabilityA struggling 19-year-old service worker barely earning enough to make ends meet has to pay $64 for her monthly Muni pass. A wealthy 66-year-old homeowner from Pacific Heights can purchase that same fare for $22.
Seem fair? Read More
